Getting to Know You - Ben Macpherson MSP

What’s your earliest memory?

I have a few, all between the ages of three and five. I remember walking along the road with my best friend, who I’ve known since I was one,  his mum was my childminder because my mum was still studying medicine when I was born.

I remember when my brother was born when I was three, and I remember my first day at primary school.

 

Where did you go to Primary School?

Flora Stevenson Primary School, just in Comely Bank, the same as Angus Robertson, although he was there a while before me…

 

What were you like at school?

I was fairly quiet, and hard working. I think the most distinctive thing I remember being like and feeling like at school was that I never really fitted into one particular group – I was quite a strong individual and had friends in every sort of group.

 

Do you bring that same attitude to politics?

Maybe a bit, yeah. I like to think for myself. In Holyrood I haven’t really had as much time or capacity as some have had to engage in more of the social side pre-Covid, and that’s because I represented an Edinburgh constituency, just down the road, and I was therefore expected – quite rightly – to be at events during the week.

 

Who would be your dream dinner date?

It would be really interesting to have dinner with Billy Connolly. He just has such a great, optimistic take on life. He’s obviously very funny, but also has a great perspective on thinking the best of people and making the most of life.

Politically and internationally, it would be very interesting to have dinner with former President Barack Obama, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, obviously they were just in the country, and I missed my chance…

It would be really interesting to have dinner with Angela Merkel as well, to hear her thoughts on the future of the EU, and as someone who is taking a step back from politics.

Could I also add Desmond Tutu, Alex Ferguson and Malala Yousafzai (who I was lucky enough to meet in March 2019 when she visited Edinburgh).

 

What’s your greatest fear?

I’m not great with heights. I think being in an aircraft crash would be the scariest thing ever.

I should also say crocodiles. I’ll send you a photo of me holding a baby one when I was travelling…

Pictured: a young Ben with an even younger crocodile

What’s your most treasured possession?

Diaries that I had from when I went travelling. Diaries I had from when I lived in China for three months. Diaries I have from when I walked from Edinburgh to London for a charity.

I went round the world in 2007,  and had a short window of opportunity between two courses to travel. I lived in China in 2003, and had to come home early, because SARS-1 happened, so I had experience of that epidemic.

And I walked from Edinburgh to London in 2004, so those are pretty treasured possessions.

The sort of things you can’t store on a hard drive or buy again.

 

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I really like watching First Dates. When I’m working late at night, if I’ve got the telly on, it’s usually one of the many excellent news programmes that there are… but sometimes if I’m working particularly late then First Dates is on.

It’s interesting to hear people’s thoughts and Merlin the bar tender reminds me of many happy days working behind a bar in my twenties, and all the really interesting people you got to randomly meet.

 

Which bars did you work in?

The first bar I worked in was called Bar 38, which was one of the first style bars on George Street – it’s now the Alexander Graham Bell Wetherspoon’s, but back in the day it was a really cool style bar. I had some great times there, met people from all over the world, had really good times and learned a lot about people and about Edinburgh life.

Then I worked in Lulu the nightclub over the road.

 

If you could go back in time, where would you go?

I think it would be really interesting to live in the 1920s, but what came out of the 20s were obviously some very challenging times for the world, some really dark times.

I think it would be interesting, and I think it’s important we reflect a lot on history as we move forward, and I think the most important lessons we could learn are probably from the 1920s and 30s.

 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?

I got a really good piece of advice from a football coach when I was at York, and I was worrying about what I would be doing after graduation, and the pressure you feel when you’re not quite sure what to do next, and he said: “Make sure you enjoy your twenties, because you’ve got the rest of your life to work.”

I think that’s a really important piece of advice because too many people put pressure on themselves to get on with life as quickly as possible. It’s important to enjoy your younger years.

 

What’s your top film or TV programme of all time?

My favourite films are quite diverse. Top three films would be: Amazing Grace, about William Wilberforce and the end of the slave trade; The Matrix, because I love the philosophy behind it and the marshal arts and the cinematography; and Star Wars, just the whole question of good and evil. I could say so many more.

I love documentaries, and there’s been some really interesting ones recently. Once Upon A Time In Iraq last year was very powerful, and the recent Blair and Brown documentary was very interesting, as that all happened as I was growing up.

 

Binary politics:

Salt and vinegar or salt and sauce – Salt n Sauce

Cats or dogs - Cats

Pub or wine bar – Both

Early bird or night owl – Night Owl

Full English or continental – Continental

Coffee or tea – Tea

Fame or fortune - Neither

Book or film - Film

Night in or night out – Night out

Couch or gym – Both - I have some weights next to my couch!